This is just the first of a number of stories that JVoices helped break into the media that will be coming out in the next few days about the Yeshivah of Flatbush Reunions, and the call for an open door policy by Yeshivah Alumni. We’ll keep you posted as they come!

Alumni of a prominent Modern Orthodox yeshiva in Brooklyn were prohibited from bringing same-sex partners to a class reunion last month, causing an uproar among some former students.

The high-school division of Yeshivah of Flatbush, one of the most prestigious Modern Orthodox schools in New York City, held a reunion in late December for members of the class of 1997. While most alumni were invited to bring guests, a few were explicitly forbidden to do so. According to sources, graduates thought by yeshiva personnel to have same-sex significant others were sent an e-mail that barred them from bringing their partners.

“As previously stated to you, we welcome your attendance and look forward to your participation,” read the letter, which appeared on the blog JVoices. “However, your partner cannot attend.”

Angered by what they see as a discriminatory and hypocritical stance on the part of the yeshiva, some alumni have taken the issue to the Internet, where they have circulated a petition and created a Facebook group calling for “Open Flatbush Reunions” at which “everyone… [is] entitled to bring a guest.”